Trail Runners at Trials

Ultrarunners perform in road marathons.

Who says trail runners—and ultrarunners, in particular—can't run fast road marathons? This weekend's Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston had a slew of competitors who spend most of their time on dirt toeing the starting line. Ultrarunners Devon Crosby-Helms (2:38:55, 36th place), Megan Arborghast (2:58:33), Jenn Shelton (DNF), and Caitlin Smith (DNF) had all qualified by running at least a sub-2:46 (for the "B" standard) to run on Saturday. World Mountain Running Champions Max King (2:14:36, 19th place) and Kasie Enman (2:41:25), their 2011 U.S. Mountain Running teammates Michele Suszek (2:40:33) and Megan Lund-Lizotte (2:44:45), and past-Mountain Running team member Chris Lundstrom (2:22:03) all fared well, as did Pikes Peak Ascent winner Kim Dobson (2:56:37), and proven road/trail crossover runner and winner of the 2011 UROC 100K Michael Wardian (2:21:50). Crosby-Helms (of San Francisco, California), who's won the six-day TransRockies Run, and numerous other ultra-distance road and trail events, PRed by four (!) minutes on Saturday. She finished 36th, just behind road and cross country star (at age 47) Colleen DeReuck. Here's what Crosby-Helms has to say about the race:

RW: Tell me a bit about the Trials experience for you. Awesome?DCH: Beyond awesome. Every moment I was out there I felt a type of energy that is different than any type of race I've ever been in. That said, I still ran "my race" and according to my plan: I ran the first 15 miles with a really big group that was on 2:35 pace and I noticed that, comparatively, I was much more "aerobic" than a lot of my competitors. I felt comfortable cruising through the half under 1:18. Being an ultrarunner, I wanted to stay comfortable, so when it became a bit harder to maintain that pace I didn't press myself. I relaxed into a slightly more even pace for 5-6 miles. Then around mile 23, I realized I was going to finish with too much in the tank, so I started passing people and running harder.

RW: How did the marathon yesterday compare to other big races...was it the biggest of your life?DCH: This race reminded me of when I was in high school and playing basketball in the State playoffs. It is a total other level. Everywhere I went I was running into people I know as celebrities at the top of the sport...legends and favorites. I felt totally out of my element since ultras, no matter how competitive, always feel like a bunch of friends getting together for a little barn burner.

RW: How do you feel about your trail running experience giving you strength for road marathoning?DCH: Trail running has trained my ability to hold pace for a long time. I can run aerobic forever and not doubt my ability to go the distance. More importantly, ultrarunning has taught me that if I give something a few miles it will change. So when I start hurting or being tired or something, I know based on my ultra experience, that if I just keep moving forward it will all change, and, often for the better.

RW: Any funny stories from the race? DCH: I really pushed it the last three miles and was trying to run "eyeballs out," I was trying to catch the runner in front of me for the last two miles (Colleen DeReuck–she was 800+ meters ahead of me with two miles to go). So I cross the finish line, take one deep breath, then I just bust out to whomever is watching in a little happy dance saying, "I was the first ultrarunner!" A few volunteers laughed and told me I have way too much energy and I responded, "Well that was just the first marathon, right? I am used to running another plus 10 more miles!"The another funny thing for me was having other ultrarunners out there to cheer me on. I got such a huge cheesy smile on my face when I saw some (unexpected) ultra support out there. I practically ran over to the side to give them a huge hug (which in ultras would be what you would do since the time lost wouldn't make a difference).

RW: What's next for you?DCH: This year and the future is about continuing to improve my speed, and use my speed. I am planning some shorter distance things (to get more comfortable with running at redline) as well as running some of the fastest and most competitive ultras in the world. I am racing Two Oceans in April and Comrades in June. I am also planning on running Chicago (Marathon) in October. Based on the past year of training, I think that I have only begun to scratch the surface of my abilities as a marathoner. I plan to run some trail ultras too, but those skills have been improving alongside my road speed, so they are secondary goals. I love the trails, but it is an adventure to try to see how good I can be in the marathon. I have put a year into it and look forward to seeing what I can cultivate.